Module 1: Lesson 3

Uzbek Dialects

Source: CTILD webpage

Uzbek dialects are diverse and have elements of all three Turkic dialect groups such as Qarluq, Qipchaq, and Oghuz.

There are many classifications of Uzbek dialects, based on phonetic and lexical features. The main classifications and their proponents are: Iranized and Non-Iranized dialects (Polivanov), “O” dialect group and “A” dialect group (Borovkov), Qarluq-Uyghur-Chigil, Qipchaq, and the Oghuz dialect groups (Reshetov).

Due to the influence of Iranian languages some dialects have lost vowel harmony. Vowel harmony is not reflected in modern literary Uzbek since it is based on the Tashkent and Ferghana dialects.